June 16, 2022

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 28:4-7

Will you turn to God or Satan?

We read in 1 Samuel 28:4-7:

⁴ Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” 

David was still a young lad when he was anointed as king of Israel. He didn’t take up the throne immediately but had to wonder like a fugitive in the hands of Saul.

Now, the time of Saul’s complete downfall is almost here. After about twenty years, Saul’s reign was about to end.

When Saul saw that the Philistines gathered together against him, he was afraid and his heart “trembled greatly.” We see how Saul lost all confidence, courage, and wisdom in him when he stopped obeying God.

We read in Isaiah 59:1-2:

¹ Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;

Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.

² But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear. 

No doubt, Saul sought God at this time. However, the reason that God wasn’t heeding his call was because of his iniquities. If only Saul turned back from his iniquities and lived a more righteous life, the outcome might have been different.

The problem here is that Saul, instead of repenting of his sins and getting rid of the iniquities that have separated him from the Almighty, turned to a medium. This is something that is equivalent to turning to Satan!

There’s a reason why God called mediums an abomination and He commanded a heavy penalty to anyone who dabbles with the dark side.

As a result, Saul didn’t turn to God and repented. Instead, he turned to Satan and committed more sins.

Sad, but true. Because of this, Saul paid a huge price for his disobedience. After the encounter with the medium, we read that Saul “immediately… fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid… and there was no strength in him… he was severely troubled” (1 Samuel 28:20-21).

In the same way, when we are in deep trouble, I hope we turn to God, repent, and stop living a life of iniquity. When we continually sin, we are turning to Satan, not to God.

Now, let me ask you a question, “Are you turning to Yahweh or Satan?”

To learn more, please read, “Lessons from the Life of David: Defeating the GIANTS (Part 1).”

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